Ultras target CRPF bunker in Srinagar

At least eight people, including an officer of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), were injured when ultras hurled a grenade in the heart of Srinagar city on Saturday.

Police sources said the grenade was thrown at a CRPF bunker near the now-defunct Palladium Cinema in Lal Chowk around 2 pm. 

However, it missed the intended target and exploded on the road, injuring seven civilians—mostly pedestrians, including father-son duo Ghulam Nabi Nayak and eight-year-old Farooq Ahmad—and CRPF Sub-Inspector Hari Ram Devakar.

Reports said the injured were rushed to hospital and their condition was stable. Immediately after the attack, senior police officers rushed to the spot and a heavy contingent of police and paramilitary forces was deployed in the area.

A search operation is under way, and pedestrians and motorists are being frisked at various intersections, said reports. 

SDPO Kothibagh Faisal Qayoom said the police would also look at CCTV footage to track down the militant who lobbed the grenade. No militant outfit had claimed responsibility for the attack till evening.

The attack came a day after a gun battle that erupted in the Arnia sector of Jammu in which 11 people—four civilians, three soldiers and four militants—were killed.

It also came at a time when campaigning for Assembly elections in the city has started picking up. Polls in the city will be held in the fourth phase on December 14

Meanwhile, in Poonch district, militants triggered a blast on Saturday targeting an Army vehicle near the Line of Control (LoC). The troops escaped unhurt, but the vehicle was damaged in the improvised explosive device (IED) blast.

The militants had planted the IED on the road to LoC in the Krishnagati belt of Poonch, said a senior Army officer on Saturday night. Poonch goes to polls in second phase of elections on December 2.